World’s biggest plane may finally be finished after 30 years of construction

Manufacturers may finally finish building the world’s largest ever plane that’s been gathering dust in an aircraft hanger since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The Antonov An-255, which is around 70 per cent complete, has been kept in storage in Ukraine for the past three decades.

The project started in 1989 but came to a halt in 1994, three years after the Soviet Union collapsed and funding dried up.

However, aircraft manufacturer Antonov is now hoping to raise the necessary cash to complete the plane.

The company needs about £270million to finish the aircraft, which would be a larger version of the only An-255 ever built, named the Mriya.

The Mriya, which means ‘dream’ in Ukrainian, was constructed in 1988 and is still the biggest and heaviest plane in history.

It is able to carry a spacecraft, 10 tanks or 30 cars – and has a standard crew of 22 people.

China backed Antonov’s bid to complete the project by 2019, however this has not been achieved.